Dunham, the famed ventriloquist and Comedy Central star, has introduced two new characters -- Achmed Junior and Little Jeff -- on his 100-city tour that includes a 3 p.m. Saturday date in Pittsburgh. Tickets are $47.50.

Dunham works with dummies, but he's a smart dude, declared by Forbes magazine as one of the 100 most powerful entertainers, who has had the top-grossing comedy tour for three years in a row.

Dunham's Facebook page, with its 6 million fans, was recently listed as the fourth "Most Explosive" page on the site by AllFacebook.com, a popular industry blog, after he added nearly 300,000 fans in one week.

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Get ready to meet Freddy the Yeti if you're headed to the "Abominable Snow Jam" Friday at Altar Bar in Pittsburgh.

Freddy is the fuzzy white mascot for the concert conceived by local alternative-rockers Identity X, whose origins trace to Robert Morris University.

"Our goal is to package a yearly showcase of new bands to help build interest in the various talent from Pittsburgh and the surrounding region," said Identity X's Darin DiNapoli.

"We will be featuring a classically trained harp player to perform a reworking of our popular song 'Sleepwalking' guaranteed to leave the audience in awe," DiNapoli said.

Showtime is 6:30 p.m., with tickets costing $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

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It's not like Robert Plant and Jimmy Page are in any hurry to reunite.

So Led Zeppelin fans will have to get their kicks vicariously, which could include seeing Zeppelin tribute bands, such as Get the Led Out, which will perform a two-plus hour set Friday at Carnegie Library Music Hall in Munhall.

Their press kit promises, "from the bombastic and epic, to the folky and mystical, Get The Led Out have captured the essence of the recorded music of Led Zeppelin."

So there you go.

The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $24.50 and $29.

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The Olga Watkins Band has prepared an updated version of its popular Steelers fan fight song "Drink Up Yinz Bitches" for its New Year's Eve show at Bocktown Beer and Grill at the Beaver Valley Mall.

The Pittsburgh blues band also has concocted a funky arrangement of Duke Ellington's "Caravan" destined to get people dancing.

"It's getting a great response; people are really, really digging it," Watkins said.

There's no cover for the show, which lasts from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Naturally there'll be a midnight toast with a little "Auld Lang Syne."

"We have seven more openings for reservations, but they are not required," Bocktown's Rebecca Rocereto said.

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